From the New Jersey area, we picked up on a fundraising idea called "tricky trays".
Sometimes called penny auctions or Chinese basket auctions, tricky trays are usually set up as fundraisers for schools, churches, animal shelters and other non-profit organizations, and they are governed by the same state guidelines that control bingo.
The basic setup is this: prizes are displayed on tables with a raffle box near each prize. People buy raffle tickets, usually in bunches, then drop any number of tickets into the box near the prize they want to win. The more tickets you stuff into a box, the better chance you have of winning.
Some tricky trays offer elaborate prizes. One held recently at the Westmount Country Club in West Paterson as a fundraiser for a West Caldwell elementary school offered a trip to Ireland, passes to Walt Disney World and a lap-top computer.
Some raffles are the culmination of sit-down dinners at banquet halls, and others are BYOS (bring your own sandwich) at American Legion halls or firehouses. Raffle ticket prices also vary depending on the swankiness of the affair. Some have a sliding scale for raffle tickets: $1 a ticket for skin care baskets or toasters, and $10 or more for vacation trips or home entertainment electronics.
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The raffles aren't just popular among fans, but are also a hit at the non-profits they benefit. Barranco said she helped organize a tricky tray auction for her son's school in November that raised $20,000 to pay for new books and a trophy case.
Marguerite Kenney of the Caldwell College Alumni Association raised $30,000 for student scholarships at an auction in mid-June, where attendees were invited to dress as their favorite movie stars for the evening's Hollywood theme.
The reason a non-profit can raise so much money in one night is because tricky tray gifts are usually donated -- either by local businesses or the members of the non-profit putting on the auction.
Terri Kinsella of West Caldwell said it took a year and more than 50 volunteers to put on her school's raffle -- soliciting prizes, setting up the banquet hall and wrapping baskets. But the event raised nearly $40,000 for field trips, teacher supplies and other programs run by the Home School Association.
Christine Chiovaro of West Milford, who has won a big-screen TV and Disney passes at tricky trays, said the downside to the auctions becoming so popular is that they've taken a toll on local merchants who are asked to donate over and over. "Now every organization out there has picked up on it."
But the fad doesn't show any signs of slowing down.